Dalit Hindu family brutally attacked by Islamist mob near Ajmer Dargah; pregnant woman assaulted, clothes of Hindu women torn, identity based slurs hurled
Ajmer, Rajasthan, India 
17 February, 2025
Case Summary
A violent mob attack was carried out against a Dalit Hindu family near Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan. The incident occurred near the Taj Shah Gali in the Longia area of the Ganj police station limits. Longia is considered a sensitive area. A large number of Muslim migrants from other regions have settled in the upper hilly parts of the locality, while Dalit, Harijan, and Sindhi communities primarily reside in the lower settlements. The area has witnessed several instances of communal tension in the past. X user Treeni shared the testimony of the victims, who alleged that a group of 40 to 50 individuals, primarily migrant Muslims from Bengal and Bihar residing there illegally, launched a brutal assault when the family attempted to mediate a dispute. Armed with swords, sticks, and bricks, the attackers specifically targeted the Hindu family, tearing the clothes of Hindu women, assaulting a pregnant woman, and injuring six people, including children. They also hurled caste-based slurs at the Dalit family and issued death threats. The victims recounted that many of these individuals have been illegally occupying spaces in the locality and are involved in illicit activities, including drug peddling. The incident reportedly began as a minor altercation over a children's marble game. Some children started throwing marbles from the rooftop. The women of the Hindu family worried that the stones might hit someone, tried to stop the children, but instead, the children started hurling casteist abuses at the women. Seeing this, the male members of the Dalit family stepped in to defuse the situation. Just then, some of the Muslims became enraged and turned on them. Within moments, a large mob of 40 to 50 people gathered with stones, sticks, hockey sticks and swords and launched a violent assault on the members of the Hindu family. They tore the clothes of Hindu women and assaulted children and a pregnant woman. A case has been registered against 50 unidentified individuals and 14 named Islamists.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has several religious markers because of which it has been added under two prime categories of the tracker. the first is- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The second sub-category is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The third sub-category selected under the above category is- Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. The second prime category relevant here is- Hate speech against Hindus and within this, the sub-category selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. This case bears multiple religious markers, making it evident that the attack was not merely an isolated instance of violence but was driven by deeper animosity against Hindus. Firstly, the Dalit Hindu family was specifically targeted, with the perpetrators hurling caste-based slurs, which highlights the religious nature of the assault. Though it can be argued here that a caste-specific slur is aimed at her micro identity of belonging to the Dalit section of the Hindu community and not her Hindu identity itself. However, as far as Abrahamic religions are concerned, the micro identities of caste, region, and language are secondary. It is the religious identity that drives the animosity of the perpetrator against the Hindu victim. In this case, while the perpetrators hurled caste abuses at the victims, the animosity was driven by his animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. While the immediate trigger of the violence could be the "minor altercation over a children's marble game" as mentioned in reports, the fact that caste slurs were hurled at the victim by the perpetrator makes it a religiously motivated hate crime against the victim. Furthermore, the victims were attacked for intervening in a dispute and attempting to prevent an escalation of violence. This aligns with the pattern of radicals retaliating against those who oppose their aggression. The fact that a seemingly minor altercation over a children's marble game led to a violent mob attack armed with swords and sticks suggests an ingrained hostility against Hindus, further proving that the response was disproportionate and fuelled by religious animosity. Additionally, the attack took place in an area where illegal Muslim settlers have occupied land in large numbers. Such regions have increasingly been marked as hostile to non-Muslims, with numerous instances where Hindus have been attacked without any provocation. These attacks often serve as a means to assert religious dominance, instilling fear among the Hindu population and discouraging them from asserting their rights or even existing peacefully in these areas. The disproportionate and brutal nature of the assault suggests that the perpetrators sought not only to harm the victims physically but also to send a clear message of intimidation and religious supremacy. This pattern of targeted aggression underscores the deep-seated animosity that fuelled this attack, making it a clear case of religiously motivated violence against Hindus.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
